-questions composition of CoI
Members and supporters of the joint opposition yesterday staged a chant-filled protest outside the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, demanding accountability for the dozens killed in the MV Barima tragedy and the resignations of ministers Juan Edghill and Deodat Indar.
Members of Parliament from We Invest in Nationhood (WIN), the Forward Guyana Movement (FGM) and A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) participated in the protest shortly before the National Assembly convened. They were joined by representatives of the Alliance For Change (AFC), VPAC and members of the public.
The protesters called for Edghill, the Minister of Public Works, and Indar, the Minister of Public Utilities and Aviation, to leave office to allow for an impartial investigation into the ferry disaster.
To date, 73 bodies have been recovered and 76 persons rescued, while others remain missing.
Police barricaded the entrance to the conference centre and surrounding areas as the MPs and other protesters assembled on the roadway.
Using a loudspeaker and carrying placards, the protesters chanted for approximately one hour: “Who must go? Edghill and Indar.”
Some of the placards read: “Edghill is incompetent”; “Respect our first people, the Amerindians”; “Indigenous lives matter”; “Edghill must be held accountable”; “Edghill lied to the people”; and “Where is the MV Malisha?”
APNU parliamentarian Terrence Campbell told Kiskadee Watch that key facts had not been ascertained before information about the disaster was released to the public.
According to Campbell, Edghill made definitive public pronouncements which were subsequently shown to be inaccurate. He said questions had since arisen about the condition of the vessel, including reports that its engine and generator were not operational.
Campbell argued that Edghill and Indar should be removed from their portfolios to permit an impartial investigation. He said employees might be unwilling to provide information about possible failures or discrepancies while the two ministers remained in office.
“Together, the opposition parties have presented one united face on this tragedy,” Campbell said.
He accused the government of failing to respond adequately to previous tragedies, including the death of Adriana Younge.
Campbell said the disaster should become a defining moment when Guyanese insist that the government be held accountable. He added that it had resulted in the entire parliamentary opposition acting together for the first time during the 13th Parliament.
“I want the government to understand that this will continue to happen, and we will stand up to them and demand justice for the people of Guyana—justice for those who floated in the ocean for hours before they were rescued,” he said.
Meanwhile, APNU MP Sherod Duncan said the consequences of the tragedy would continue to affect the victims’ families long after the Commission of Inquiry (COI) had completed its work.
He said the opposition had concerns about the method used to constitute the commission and argued that the parliamentary opposition should have been consulted during the selection of its members.
WIN MP and Chief Whip Tabitha Sarabo-Halley said she had little confidence that anyone would ultimately be held accountable. She accused the PPP/C administration of shielding ministers and urged citizens to speak out and demand accountability.
Sarabo-Halley referred to previous tragedies in which, she said, officials had not been held responsible despite the offices they occupied at the time.
She also raised concerns about the membership of the COI and said she was awaiting the appointment of its secretary. According to her, several commissions have previously been established, but their recommendations were never implemented.
President Irfaan Ali on Sunday announced that Belizean Senior Counsel Godfrey P. Smith, Trinidad and Tobago attorney Nyree Dawn Alfonso, retired Rear Admiral Hayden Pritchard, Jamaican maritime expert Captain Hamada Fouda and Polish naval architect Dr Andrzej Jasionowski would preside over the inquiry.
“Now we have another tragedy where over 100 persons have died. What are we going to do as a people? Are we going to accept it, or are we going to say enough is enough?” Sarabo-Halley asked.
“The entire nation went through this trauma, and everybody is waiting for the evidence and to get answers to a lot of questions,” she added.
As the protest ended, MPs Natasha Singh-Lewis and Dawn Hastings-Williams were prevented by police from carrying their placards beyond the barricades.
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